Raman spectroscopic analysis of mediaeval wall paintings in the Palencia region, Spain

The use of Raman spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of wall paintings and frescoes has been reported previously. In this paper we present for the first time the Raman study of a collection of three wall paintings attributed to the same artist, dating from the XVth century, and a fourth wall painting dated three centuries earlier, all of them located in the same area, namely Palencia in northern Spain. From the results obtained here we can conclude that there is an identifiable recipe for the different colours and pigment tonalities, which had been maintained during the centuries regardless of the artistic origin of the work and did not seem to have been subjected to external influences. Also, the use of expensive pigments by the artist(s) is identified with the local importance of the figure, more than with the established religious hierarchy.